Vladimir Putin

MOSCOW, August 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will send a humanitarian convoy to Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone conversation with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday.

Putin shared his assessment of the crisis in Ukraine and its causes, placing the emphasis on “the catastrophic consequences of the military operation the Kiev authorities are conducting in south-eastern regions and on the need for urgent humanitarian aid to the region”, the presidential press service said.

President Vladimir Putin and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a telephone conversation on Monday discussed some pressing issues of cooperation between Russia and the European Union.

The call took place “in the context of the Association Agreement signed by Ukraine and Russia’s ban on the import of agricultural products from EU countries in response to the Western sanctions”, the press service said.